Sunday, September 27, 2009

Slanted Door in San Francisco

San Francisco is one of the greatest cities for unique, trend setting and outstanding food. It is almost impossible to have one single favorite place, so I have come to the conclusion that I have MANY favorites. If Julie Andrews were to sing “One of my Favorite Things” about restaurants, perhaps Slanted Door would be included in the lyrics.

Charles Phan is the executive Chef at Slanted Door which creates modern Vietnamese cuisine using local produce and ecological farms located in the Bay Area. The atmosphere is modern with a chic spin on the décor. A lively crowd mixed with locals and tourists alike. Highly recommend making reservations to this local hotspot – Open Table is my "go to" for reservations. (http://www.opentable.com/)

My vacation week was filled with seeing friends and eating at great restaurants. Two of my great foodie friends, Monica and Jeanna planned headed to the San Francisco Ferry Building for a great lunch and catching up with each other. (Monica is pictured with me) We sat outside on the patio area, since the weather was absolutely perfect. Decided to share a bunch of dishes and try some new things.

We started with the Slanted Door Spring Rolls with Shrimp, Pork, Mint and Peanut Sauce. So refreshing and perfect for enjoying the bay breeze and sounds of the busy walk ways. Next we enjoyed the Grapefruit & Jicama with Red Cabbage, Pickled Carrots and Candied Pecans. This salad is simply amazing and the flavors meld so well together with a light crunch and sweet balance of the candied pecans.

For our main dishes we had Lemongrass Chicken with Red Onions, Jalapeños, Roasted Chili Paste and Peanuts. The jalapeños were soft, not hot and perfect with the lemongrass infusion. We also enjoyed the Caramelized Tiger Prawns with Garlic Onions and Chili Sauce. Absolutely delicious!

Just a quick note: A must try martini is the Phantasm – Lemongrass Vodka, Lime, Falernum and served up. It is very addictive and super tasty – you will want another!

(Wikipedia definition of Falernum: Falernum is a sweet syrup used in Tropical and Caribbean drinks. It contains flavors of almond, ginger, almond and/or cloves, and lime, and sometimes vanilla or allspice. It is used in cocktails in a manner similar to orgeat syrup or drunk on the rocks. The syrup form can be alcoholic or non-alcoholic. The consistency is thick, the color can be white to light amber, and it may be clear or translucent.)